Feeling Spiritually Stagnant? Here Are 5 Things You Need To Do

Spiritual stagnancy is something many of us experience in life. When I was younger, I remember being confused by these seasons that felt uneventful. I would go to conferences and feel like I left walking hand in hand with my Savior. But after a few weeks of normal life, of laundry and school work and little brothers pushing my patience, I’d feel distant and apathetic again.

While I’d like to tell you that this pattern disappeared as I aged and matured in my faith, it hasn’t changed much.

I still have seasons when I feel exceptionally close to God and seasons when my faith feels more like an abstract concept than a life and soul-transforming part of my daily life.

These seasons of stagnancy can lead us to feel like a lesser Christian. But it is often in these seasons when the emotions aren’t propelling us that we truly move into the work we need to do to build a faith that survives the storms of life.

When you doubt whether or not the work you’re doing to grow your spiritual life matters, that is when you need to dig deeper into tools God has given you.

1. Repent

Often times, seasons of stagnancy in my life cause me to become complacent with the little “white lie” level sins in my life that I’ve convinced myself hurt no one. But sin never hurts no one. Every little white lie, every moment of sloth, every unkind word, each uncharitable though is an action that Jesus bled and died for.

2. Pray

When you are feeling lost in your faith, when your prayers feel memorized and heartless, don’t let the devil convince you that your prayers are meaningless.

Prayer changes your heart and it changes the world.

Whether you feel stagnant because of sin, life changes, or some combination of life busyness that you’re just not able to identify, prayer can change things.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a prayer, pray as Jesus taught us and say the Lord’s Prayer. Commit each day when you wake up and each night before bed to praying it aloud (because as strange as it may feel, praying aloud makes a difference).

3. Invest in Honest Relationships with Other Believers

While famines of the soul leave us feeling isolated, alone, and like we’ve failed as Christians, that is also a lie from the evil one. These seasons are common to most believers as some point, if not many points, in their Christian walk. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and to share our struggle, we open ourselves up to the encouragement of the greater Body of Christ that God has crafted for our benefit. We are not alone and those who walk this path solo do win a special badge, they ignore the gifts and tools God has given them in their local church body.

4. Fast

Pull yourself away from this world and focus on the world to come. Fasting is one of the tools of our faith that Jesus lists in Matthew 6 along with prayer and giving to the poor, as an assumed part of Christian life.

I think that it is important to fast from food regularly. It is one of the most tangible ways we are connected to this world and rely on something other than God for our sustenance.

5. Read Your Bible

Getting over my discomfort of fear that it will be “unproductive” and spending time in the Word of God is one of the things He has promised us will aid those who hear it.

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11, ESV

During rough seasons, I spent my time in the Psalms. Other times, I focus on the life of Christ in the Gospels or read through the Old Testament accounts of how God sustained His people as they awaited the coming Messiah and carried themselves through the world broken by sin.

Even though it is hard, even if it feels pointless, time in God’s Word is never pointless. It will benefit you beyond the moments you spend reading it. Pick up your Bible, open to a book, and read through it a chapter a day.

I started reading Proverbs and Psalms together. I struggle to read daily but have been trying to consistently read my Bible. Great list, you’ve given me a few additional ideas to get out of this stagnate period I currently am in.

“When you are feeling lost in your faith, when your prayers feel memorized and heartless, don’t let the devil convince you that your prayers are meaningless.” This is so good! It’s so hard to be in a season of drought, especially when it follows a season of such intimacy. Thank you for bringing up this subject; it’s so good to make sure everyone knows this is a normal thing all Christians walk through. It’s hard when you feel isolated in your dryness.

I needed to read this today. Sometimes I feel like I’m going through the motions of life and I’m disconnected to my faith. When this happens I feel guilt. Thanks for the recommendations on how to get back on track. So beautifully written 🙂

This hits home for me. I’m in the middle of hand-copying the book of Acts, and just having my Bible on my desk makes it so much easier to open it up. By hand-copying, I’m rediscovering verses that I’d completely forgotten about, and picking up small details that get missed when I just read it instead.

Prayer is the number one thing that I find helps me get out of rut. I noticed that if I don’t spent time in prayer first thing in the morning, my day usually isn’t as good. Prayer is powerful! Thanks for sharing.

Hello there! I believe that every Christian goes through this kind of challenge. I, too, find myself turning into the Psalms when I’m feeling lost, or confused. And I think it’s okay, it means we are trying to pursue God continually.

I once described this as having a spiritual cold…you know, your head is all fogged up and nothing seems to get through. All these things are good – and I would encourage anyone in that place that, like with a cold, it will pass. Our relationship with God is not actually about the emotional high, and when you choose to stay connected when you don’t “feel” connected, you will grow, in the same way that going through depression forced me to be intentional about both my spiritual and physical health.

I write in a prayer journal daily – not always the full prayer, sometimes I pray that out loud, but I have found that if I’m sleepy or discouraged or just having a hard time connecting or focusing, that writing my thoughts and prayers to God helped me to follow through and make the abstract concrete, something I could touch and feel.

Welcome

Aloha! I'm a Michigander who enjoys copious amounts of coffee, reading excessive amounts of books, and snuggling with my husband and dogs. My life has led me from Michigan to Hawaii and back again.

I have a deep love for the Lord and a His Church. His love and grace mark my day by day walk and dependency on Him.

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